The Last of Us 2's Major Twist Was Designed for the Game Not the TV Show

I’ve kept Joel’s death a secret from my partner for five years. It was not as difficult as it seems. For the first four years. she didn’t even know who Joel was and wouldn’t have cared if she did. She’s not on Twitter so she didn’t have to deal with all the discussions about his death in 2020. Only recently when we started watching The Last of Us on HBO did she start caring about who Joel was and whether he lived or died. And trust me she cared a lot.

I don't think many people will have an easy unbiased reaction to this weeks episode of The Last of Us. So I was curious to see what she thought about Joel's death and how well I kept the secret. As expected she didn't like seeing the main character of one of her favorite shows get stabbed in the neck. In fact she really hated it.

Why I'm Never Watching This Show Again

I was surprised by how upset she got. She gasped yelled and asked if Joel dies in the game. When I said yes she understood that what was happening on screen was real. It wasn’t a dream and no one was coming to save Joel. His story was over and so was her interest in watching the show.

If you have only seen The Last of Us as a show this might seem like an overreaction. It’s rare for shows to kill off main characters and when they do it causes a lot of debate. It’s a choice that purposely pushes away the audience and it usually only happens when there is no other option.

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Often when a main character dies on a show it’s because something happened in real life. For example Roseanne Conner died from a pill overdose in the Roseanne reboot Charlie Harper was killed off-screen in Two and a Half Men and Prue Halliwell was killed by a demon in Charmed. These deaths were not part of a bold story decision but happened because the actors were fired. so their characters were written out quickly.

Some shows like The Last of Us kill off main characters for creative reasons not due to behind the scenes drama. Two notable examples are Ned Stark’s death in Game of Thrones and Glenn Rhee’s death in The Walking Dead. Both were surprising but fans reacted to them in different ways.

Ned Stark's death at the end of Game of Thrones season one was a shocking moment that influenced many storylines and characters throughout the show. On the other hand Glenn's death in the season seven premiere of The Walking Dead is seen as the start of the series decline. The show continued for four more seasons. but fans didn’t react well to the death of one of its last beloved characters.

With Joel's death The Last of Us faces a big turning point. Will fans accept it like they did Ned Stark’s death or will they dislike it like they did with Glenn’s?

A Death Crafted for a Different Medium

All three TV shows are based on other stories and their key events are crucial to the plot. For example Game of Thrones needs Ned Stark's death and The Last of Us must have Joel's death. These moments are important to the main themes and changing them would make the show unfaithful to the original story. Once the show was approved it was clear from the start that Joel's death would happen no matter what Craig Mazin and the other creators thought about it.

The Last of Us stays true to the games in key ways. but some differences between games and TV make the show a unique experience

Joe's death will affect audiences and players in different ways. In The Last of Us Part 2 Joel dies an hour into the game which came out seven years after Part 1. The game is a full experience that costs $60 and you can play it at your own pace even finishing all 20 hours at once if you want. No matter how you feel about this moment you have already bought the game.

In the show Joel dies in the second episode of season two just two years after his story started. This event happens in one show with each episode released weekly over time. You don’t have to give up on The Last of Us but it would be understandable if you did.

We have not only lost Joel from our Sunday night routine but we have also lost Pedro Pascal. Pascal has become very popular partly because of his kind and charming personality off-screen. Having a lovable actor like him play Joel changes the character. It affected how people saw the hospital scene and it will affect how they react to his death too.

Time will tell how viewers respond but it's clear that this decision is a big risk for both the game and the TV show. It's hard to imagine a studio agreeing to kill off a famous actor at the start of the second season especially when it leaves the show led by a woman who is not physically strong enough and a non-binary actor who doesn't meet certain beauty standards.